Meditating regularly has numerous benefits. We all know that. And yet, it seems remarkably challenging for many to maintain a regular meditation practice. I don’t talk about meditating daily (few really do!), but creating any kind of continuity. Maybe you are one of those who know about the benefits, but have secretly decided…
Meditation does NOT work.
At least not for you – not right now.
Here are three simple reasons why. And I am not talking about the “I don’t have time” or the “I love to self-sabotage” tropes, but very simple reasons why meditation does not work for you right now and what to do instead.
Let’s start!
1 – Going from 100 to 0 in seconds or minutes is BS!
Most people’s lives are hectic and packed with lots of (maybe even) conflicting tasks. In other words, we are all busy not to forget this and that, keeping in mind whatever, while trying to be our “best selves,” a “good human,” and all the other things we have chosen to put on our life’s plates. In short, our minds are busy 24/7. Yes, even when we sleep, the mind stays busy. Unfortunately, though, that’s a topic for another day.If you try to calm your maxed-out mind to go to ….. Oooooom… chances are, it won’t work. Imagine driving your car at full speed and then hitting the brakes. It will work, but it’s not nice. Plus, remember, there is something called breaking distance. You cannot go from 100 to 0 in seconds. Not in minutes. And, most likely, not even in a few meditation sessions.
You’ll need another way. (And – spoiler – there is one!)
2 – You Give Up Too Early
In a world with a strong desire for instant gratification, many discard everything that does not work right away. Meditation can be a “tricky beast,” as we will see in the following part, and so many say: Meditation does not work for me.What might have happened is that they tried once or twice, and the thoughts were still rushing through their minds. Soon they feel like failures because, as we have seen in #1, the mind doesn’t stop right away because it can’t.
Here is the bittersweet truth: Instant gratification is a beautifully curated lie by those chasing shortcuts. Spoiler: Most of them haven’t found ANY shortcut ever. Many things in life entail – cough 🙂 – WORK. And there’s nothing bad about work.
Last but not least, do you remember how you learned to walk? Did you get up and start running around? Most likely not. (And if you did, I’d love to hear your story.
3 – Meditation Is NOT A Tool
Yes, you read that one right. Meditation is NOT a tool. But it’s used as one in the Western world. Neither, it’s a trendy lifestyle. And no, an app WON’T work no matter how fancy it looks.Meditation is a state of BEING. Not thinking. Not doing. But BEING. Being means presence and awareness with what IS. Not with what you want to achieve. Presence doesn’t know of achievements ever. Why? Because in Presence, everything just IS. Not good, not bad, it just IS. And that creates all the difference!
Unfortunately, many of us rely on our minds so heavily that we forget about Presence, which is beyond. Or we have heard of Presence and try to force our way through our minds, or by denying our minds, just to end on another dead-end road.
And yeah, then we say it again: Meditation does not work.
The Missing LINKS – Joy & Acceptance
As someone who can even meditate in an overcrowded, hectic hospital (link About), I didn’t understand for long why people struggled so much with meditation. I close my eyes and I AM PRESENCE. Often, I don’t even close my eyes anymore.
It took a lot of observation (despite my own education) to understand the missing links that will close the gap so that mediation DOES work for you from here on:
- Joy – Presence IS joy – but nobody tells you!
- Acceptance = It IS safe to accept yourself in every moment – including the very situation that meditation does not work for you right NOW. Magically, with acceptance you release resistance, and eventually start meditating. 🙂
Both links have to be integrated to make ANY meditation practice work. And that’s what we do in Saynara’s Joyful Meditation Sessions. They are welcoming, joyful, and great for business people who (overly) rely on their minds. So that you, too, can finally say…